10 replies to this topic

[EinReaper]

This is the problem: I wanted to uninstall some programs, but when I select them in the Add/Remove panel there is no Uninstall option available.
So I've removed the programs with brute force (a.k.a. Shift + Del - yes, I know I shouldn't have), but now I can't get rid of the entries in Add/Remove.
I've tried to use a software called Add Remove Pro, but it doesn't see the entries. Is there any way to remove them manually, perhaps using regedit?

Edit: I should add that the entries are not displayed in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Edited by EinReaper, 05 November 2008 - 11:09 AM.

[shadowx]

It sounds like you've had an incomplete install or something, the programs have been deleted from the disk and the registry but im guessing add/remove programs uses its own database. Is there not an option to remove it from the list?

Im sure there was...

[xpress]

Try this small utility called MyUninstaller. Download it form myuninstaller download. It has an option to remove uninstall entries from registry. Try it. It is a very tiny utility. Just around 45kb. And no need to install. Just run.

Edited by xpress, 05 November 2008 - 12:59 PM.

[Mordent]

Urgh, I remember this sort of nasty problem. It's for that reason I'm oh-so-very glad of the fact that I have Revo Uninstaller, a nifty little programme which can help tidy up quite a lot of things. I assume by "shift + del" you mean you selected all of the contents of the directory and then hit delete? That, or you're not using Windows XP (I haven't got a clue about any other OSs, really ).

[xpress]

Mordent, on Nov 5 2008, 09:47 PM, said:

I assume by "shift + del" you mean you selected all of the contents of the directory and then hit delete? That, or you're not using Windows XP (I haven't got a clue about any other OSs, really ).

No. By shift+del he means, deleting all the directory or files permanently. When you just press delete they will go to RecycleBin. By pressing delete key while holding shift, they will be removed without going to recyclebin.

By the way what this revouninstaller do? Will it uninstall programs even if the uninstaller for those prorams not available? or just they delete registry keys just like the program I mentioned above?

[Mordent]

xpress, on Nov 5 2008, 04:43 PM, said:

No. By shift+del he means, deleting all the directory or files permanently. When you just press delete they will go to RecycleBin. By pressing delete key while holding shift, they will be removed without going to recyclebin.

Really? Ouch...better not try that one on a random file, then...*attempts it on a new test file*...well, there you go, fancy that.

xpress, on Nov 5 2008, 04:43 PM, said:

By the way what this revouninstaller do? Will it uninstall programs even if the uninstaller for those prorams not available? or just they delete registry keys just like the program I mentioned above?

I haven't got it installed as we speak, but I have fond memories of it solving the problems I had with some little urchin managing to "hard" delete some of my programs (while leaving them in the registry, hence hard delete), so it let me tidy that up. It also, I believe, does "soft" deletes as well just like a normal uninstaller would. Don't quote me on that, though. All I remember is that it worked like a charm.

EDIT: Hmmm...so I just checked out the latest version of RevoUninstaller. Turns out that they offer a portable version, so you don't even have to install the software to use it. That gets a few extra bonus points, in my book.

Anyway, basically it's a piece of software that allows you to both uninstall and delete items (not entirely sure how it works, it's 4:30 AM so I'm off to bed ), but basically it includes quite a lot of general other "tidy" options. Nothing you couldn't get somewhere else, to be honest, but I happen to remember this particular one working (and working pretty well, I might add), which is always an added benefit.

Edited by Mordent, 06 November 2008 - 04:24 AM.

[EinReaper]

All heil the mighty Revo Uninstaller!
Not only did it remove those nasty entries, but it also found files related to them on the hard drive and registry keys in regedit. (I used the Moderate Uninstall Mode)

This is how my Add/Remove used to look. Eset was the only software in this picture that I could uninstall; Revo got rid of all the other stuff.

And now for the grand test: after almost an hour of wreckless uninstalling let's see if my system boots anymore.

Edited by EinReaper, 06 November 2008 - 07:23 PM.

[Mordent]

Glad I could help.

[saitunes]

Another one that does what you want, along with a bucketload of other cleaning features is Easy cleaner by ToniArts
http://personal.inet...rts/ecleane.htm

Check it out. great bit of software

[rayzoredge]

I actually just ran into another option for you today while trying to research why Adobe Photoshop CS3 wouldn't install. (Instead, there were two instances of Photoshop CS3 "installed" onto my computer, according to Add/Remove Programs.)

Take a look into the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. It's free and Adobe mentions its use to clean out bad CS3/CS2 installations... and from using Adobe's script in conjunction with the utility, my work computer finally got around to installing Photoshop CS3 correctly and with no hassle.

Can't vouch too much for it, though, since I've only used it once...